“Germany has huge potential to deliver more usable firepower to the (NATO) alliance. When we look around Europe, I don’t think there would be many of our European allies who fear Germany from a military point of view or as a security threat.”“(It is about) a willingness to pick up the burdens that go with having a globally important economy… Germany recognising that it can’t continue to be the dominant economy in Europe without also significantly increasing its military capability,”Hammond says he want Berlin to “significantly increase its military capability” and praised the “huge strides” the country had already taken to end conscription and create smaller, more professional armed forces.

“I detect a determination that Germany’s role in NATO should continue to normalise. It intends to become a more significant player.”